CAMPAIGNERS IN Co Monaghan who are opposed to elements of the planned North-South interconnector project have called on Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan to clarify his position on meeting with them.
The Co Monaghan Anti-Pylon Group last week said an announcement by Eirgrid that it will spend millions on a new application for planning permission for the high-voltage power line was a “perversion” of the planning process.
It has sought meetings with Mr Ryan, but he has said it would not be appropriate for him to intervene.
An error in the original application for the €280 million line through Meath, Cavan and Monaghan forced the State’s electricity network operator, Eirgrid, to withdraw the application on June 29th midway through a Bord Pleanála hearing into the issue.
In a statement, the anti-pylon group said Mr Ryan’s Green Party colleague, Trevor Sargent, had previously claimed he had secured the Minister’s intervention on behalf of his own constituents, in relation to the east-west interconnector pipeline between Ireland and Wales.
Eirgrid was granted permission by An Bord Pleanála for that project last year, but it is opposed by residents of Rush in north Dublin over health and safety concerns. In August, Mr Ryan contacted Eirgrid over the possibility of changing the route to avoid Rush. Mr Sargent said at the time he was “delighted” the people of Rush would be able to discuss their concerns directly with the chief executive of Eirgrid following discussions with the Minister.
In response to criticism from the Monaghan group last week, Mr Ryan’s office said he “does not intervene in the day-to-day planning in relation to transmission infrastructure”.
A statement added: “It would not therefore be appropriate for the Minister to intervene in any way on issues arising from the planning process.”
The anti-pylon group yesterday called for clarification on the matter and accused the Green Party of “trampling on the concerns of rural voters” while bending over backwards in defence of its urban base.
“As representatives of over 10,000 residents and landowners across Co Monaghan who are concerned about elements of this project, we have repeatedly and courteously sought a meeting with Mr Ryan to discuss our concerns and seek his assistance,” the group said. It called on Mr Ryan to “immediately clarify” why he felt it appropriate to intervene in relation to the east-west interconnector project in Rush, but felt it inappropriate to intervene in relation to the North-South project a few miles up the road.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label North-South interconnector project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North-South interconnector project. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Monday, 20 September 2010
Ryan criticised by anti-pylon group
Residents’ groups in Monaghan who are opposing elements of the Government’s €280 million North-South interconnector project have accused Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan of being “disrespectful” refusing to meet them.
The Co Monaghan Anti-Pylon Group said an announcement by Eirgrid that it will spend millions on a new application for planning permission for the high-voltage power line was a “perversion” of the planning process.
An error in the original application for the line through Meath, Cavan and Monaghan forced the State’s electricity network operator, Eirgrid, to withdraw the application on June 29th last, midway through a Bord Pleanála hearing into the issue.
The public notice, which was part of the application, stated the pylons supporting the power lines would be between 23 and 37 metres high, but it should have read 23-44 metres.
Eirgrid will have to resubmit its application for permission to build the €200 million power line to An Bord Pleanála and go through a second public hearing.
Spokesman for the anti-pylon group Owen Bannigan said residents now faced mounting costs as Eirgrid planned “another taxpayer-funded attempt to have the project approved”.
He said the group had been forced to spend “a substantial six-figure sum” raised by the people of Monaghan to successfully fight the initial application.
He said this had never been a case of “not in our back yard” and that residents had “repeatedly offered constructive solutions and suggestions, and have been repeatedly ignored”.
Mr Bannigan said that until the matter was resolved, thousands of people had to live with uncertainty around the value of their land, fear of the costs of another oral hearing, and concerns over the health risks of the project.
It had sought meetings with Mr Ryan to discuss the issue on a number of occasions but the requests had been “rebuffed” every time.
A spokesman for the Minister said the planning and construction of electricity transmission infrastructure was a matter for EirGrid as Ireland’s statutory transmission system operator.
“The Minister does not intervene in the day-to-day planning in relation to transmission infrastructure,” the spokesman added.
The Minister had met with community representatives who were opposed to aspects of the development during the pre-planning consultation phase.
He had also commissioned an independent report into the “comparative merits of overhead lines versus underground cables” and arranged for the consultants who completed the report to address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
“The Minister has no role in relation to the planning process which is a function of An Bord Pleanála as the independent statutory authority in respect of strategic infrastructure developments.
“It would not therefore be appropriate for the Minister to intervene in any way on issues arising from the planning process.”
The original planning application was made last December, and the public hearing began in May.
An Bord Pleanála may not now be able to make a decision until next year, when the lines had been scheduled to be in place.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Co Monaghan Anti-Pylon Group said an announcement by Eirgrid that it will spend millions on a new application for planning permission for the high-voltage power line was a “perversion” of the planning process.
An error in the original application for the line through Meath, Cavan and Monaghan forced the State’s electricity network operator, Eirgrid, to withdraw the application on June 29th last, midway through a Bord Pleanála hearing into the issue.
The public notice, which was part of the application, stated the pylons supporting the power lines would be between 23 and 37 metres high, but it should have read 23-44 metres.
Eirgrid will have to resubmit its application for permission to build the €200 million power line to An Bord Pleanála and go through a second public hearing.
Spokesman for the anti-pylon group Owen Bannigan said residents now faced mounting costs as Eirgrid planned “another taxpayer-funded attempt to have the project approved”.
He said the group had been forced to spend “a substantial six-figure sum” raised by the people of Monaghan to successfully fight the initial application.
He said this had never been a case of “not in our back yard” and that residents had “repeatedly offered constructive solutions and suggestions, and have been repeatedly ignored”.
Mr Bannigan said that until the matter was resolved, thousands of people had to live with uncertainty around the value of their land, fear of the costs of another oral hearing, and concerns over the health risks of the project.
It had sought meetings with Mr Ryan to discuss the issue on a number of occasions but the requests had been “rebuffed” every time.
A spokesman for the Minister said the planning and construction of electricity transmission infrastructure was a matter for EirGrid as Ireland’s statutory transmission system operator.
“The Minister does not intervene in the day-to-day planning in relation to transmission infrastructure,” the spokesman added.
The Minister had met with community representatives who were opposed to aspects of the development during the pre-planning consultation phase.
He had also commissioned an independent report into the “comparative merits of overhead lines versus underground cables” and arranged for the consultants who completed the report to address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
“The Minister has no role in relation to the planning process which is a function of An Bord Pleanála as the independent statutory authority in respect of strategic infrastructure developments.
“It would not therefore be appropriate for the Minister to intervene in any way on issues arising from the planning process.”
The original planning application was made last December, and the public hearing began in May.
An Bord Pleanála may not now be able to make a decision until next year, when the lines had been scheduled to be in place.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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